CHENNAI: Madras high court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal moved by Tamil Nadu govt challenging the order of a trial court acquitting nine aides of forest brigand Veerappan who were accused in the abduction case of Kannada actor Rajkumar in 2000. On Sept 25, 2018, a Gopichettipalayam sessions court acquitted the surviving nine accused in the case – Govindaraj, Andril, Pasuvanna, Puttusamy, Kalmandiraman, Maran, Selvam, Amirthalingam and Nagaraj from all the offences charged against them. In total, 14 people including Veerappan were accused in the case. Veerappan, Sethukuli Govindan, Chandra Gowda, and Sethumani were killed in an encounter in 2004. One of the accused, Ramesh, could not be traced. Rajkumar was abducted by Veerappan and his associates on July 30, 2000. The incident took place at Thoddakanjanur near Thalavadi in the Erode district when Rajkumar was staying in his farmhouse. Veerappan released Rajkumar after 108 days. The trial was conducted for 18 years by as many as 10 judges and was concluded on Sept 17, 2018. Aggrieved by the acquittal, the prosecution moved the high court on appeal in 2019. Five years after the appeal, a division bench of Justice P Velmurugan and Justice M Jothiraman on Wednesday refused to allow the appeal and dismissed it confirming the order of the trial court.